"Hi, we're back. Tonight, the archeological dig of the century... an ancient library has been discovered in a vault four hundred feet beneath the ruins of old Richmond, Virginia. Experts called in to the site have dated the find to be at least ten thousand years old..."

"About time you showed up," Jack Green heard a gravelly male voice say out of nowhere as he worked his way through the crowd. As if out of nowhere, a weather-worn human male with long salt and pepper hair tied back in a pony tail appeared at the bar. He gestured to the empty stool next to him. "Have a seat, Jack."

"What'll it be?" said Kat the bartender as Jack sat down.

"Vodka straight up." Jack said abscently, his eyes now glued to the video monitor. "Where's this?" he pointed to the screen.

"Back on Earth," said Kat as she poured his drink. "They found some kind of underground library on the North American East Coast."

"For real? Logan, did you know anything about this?" Jack said to his friend.

"Nope." Logan shook his head in a way that Jack knew he was lying through his teeth.

"Really? I thought, as an IPX employee, you'd be on the front lines of something like this. Or did you get kicked off the site? Again? And once more, Eilerson gets all the glory."

"Jack, don't go there."

"No, let's go there," said Jack. "Why was Interplanetary Expeditions called into a site on Earth? Don't they normally handle extraterrestrial sites?"

Logan replied, "Sometimes, if the situation warrants, we can be called in to handle a case back on Earth."

"Is that so? What did they find?"

"I told you not to go there. Besides, how do you even know it was IPX?"

"I heard a rumor. ISN is really behind the times on their news lately, because I know for a fact this discovery was made two weeks ago. Logan, what's really going on? What did they find?"

"Something they weren't supposed to. Something that should stay buried, and how ISN got a hold on the story is beyond me. Look, I didn't call you here to discuss my company's activity." He quickly changed the subject by producing from a shirt pocket a transparent, conical crystal. "This is what I called you out here for," he said. "I was going to give this to Jimmy for his birthday, but something's come up."

Jack held out his right palm, accepting the data crystal. "What's on it? His trust fund?"

"I'm sure he'd wish. No, it's better than any money I could give. It's my family's legacy. Shortly after the turn of the Twenty-first century, certain metaphysical books started disappearing from bookshelves all over the planet. Books on chaos magic, quantum physics, fringe and forbidden science, all the good stuff. It's all here. My ancestors kept copies of the original volumes hidden, later scanned them onto disk, and now on a single data crystal, which I've entrusted to you to do this one thing."

"Your ancestors? Like Ethan Rayne?"

"Among others, but keep it down." said Logan with a warning look and nodded toward three security officers who had just entered the casino. "He's not an ancestor we like to talk about."

"Why did you name your kid after him then?"

"Me? Morganna's the one who named him. However, I do want him to know about our connection to the technopagans, and then the technomancers who came later. Both of these groups paved the way for humans to become the dominant race in our order." The archeological piece on the video had ended and the next news item was accompanied by an inset picture of a youthful human male with a shoch of shaggy black hair.

"Is that who I think it is?" Jack studied the picture.

"Yeah, speak of the devil," Logan said with wide-eyed urgency. "Hey Kat, turn that up."

She reached for the remote and pointed at the screen.

"...continuing the galaxy-wide manhunt for twenty-one-year-old James Ethan Rayne of Mars colony, who is wanted in connection with the slaying of two security guards at the transfer point on Io. He is believed to be travelling alone and considered extremely dangerous. If spotted, authorities warn that he is not to be approached, stay out of his line of sight, and contact your nearest Psi-Corps representative immediately. In addition, Rayne's cousin, twenty-three-year-old Daniel John Rickman of Earth, is also missing. However, authorities believe the disappearance to be unrelated at this time, and do not suspect foul play. More on this as it comes. In other news..."

Turning away from Jack, Logan hissed through clinched teeth, "Damn. Jimmy, what have you done?"

The wheels in Jacks head started turning. Handing Kat his credit chit, he said to Logan, "Hey, let me catch up with you later. There's something I need to take care of." Pouring the double shot down his throat and getting his credit chit back, he said, "See ya, Logan."

"Good Evening Earth, and welcome to our 97,820th episode of Strange Universe. I'm your host, Chris Thomas. Among other topics we'll be covering tonight, we're waiting for this guy to call back in who calls himself the Aeon Rider. Last night, before we lost our downlink with him, Aeon Rider said we're not being told everything about the archeological dig underway on the East Coast, and that there is a connection between it and the sighting of several black triangular shaped vessels in the air space above Syria Planum two weeks ago. In the second hour, we have..."

Chris Thomas's words were tuned out in Jack's mind as he removed the data crystal Logan had given him and held it up to the light. He had a feeling there was more on this crystal than a bunch of old texts. "Why me?" he said out loud. "What's really keeping Logan from doing this himself?"

For a long time, Danny Rickman questioned his sanity, or wondered if he was part of some cosmic joke as he stared at the two beings of light who stared back at him through the blue haze of the floatation tank. He found them difficult to take seriously, but soon enough, the comedy ended. The two light beings morphed into to a pair of greys with large black eyes, and with them, the scene morphed also. Instead of warm blue liquid, a cold steel examination table bit into Danny's bare skin, blinding lights baring down on him from the ceiling. The greys stood over him now, silent and motionless, but he couldn't mistake the black uniforms, black gloves, and silver badges...

No. It can't be. It couldn't be. But then he heard a voice, one he knew, and wished he didn't.

"Hello Danny."

Rickman said not a word.

"Ah, the strong, silent type. I see nothing changes with you. That's fine. But right now, I need to know something, and you will answer me."

Like hell I will.

"Where is Jimmy Rayne?"

Jimmy? What do they want him for?Not like it matters, I couldn't tell them if I wanted to. I don't know where he is.

"Well, Danny?"

"I don't know," Danny said weakly.

In a mocking tone, the first grey said, "Oh come on, Danny, do you really expect me to believe you don't know where your cousin is?"

Danny said nothing.

"I see. You're not going to make this easy for me, are you? What a shame." The grey shook its head, and it morphed again, this time removing all doubt as to the voice's owner.

"Danny," Bester said with a smile undeniable, "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll give you one more chance. Where is Jimmy Rayne?"

"I...Don't...Know."

Bester's smile went away for a second, then came back. "Very well. I guess we'll have to do this the hard way, then." He bent down closer so his face was the only one Danny could see. "Because you are going to tell me where Jimmy Rayne is," his smile disappeared for good, "one way or another." He stood up straight, nodded to the remaining gray. "Go ahead."

The last thing Danny heard before losing consciousness was the sound of a drill winding up.